


Hot Property

by Shatterpath



Series: Hot Work [2]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Dating, Developing Relationship, F/F, House Flipping, Working Hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 19:06:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24381778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shatterpath/pseuds/Shatterpath
Summary: Against the backdrop of sunny Los Angeles, Lena and Alex get to know one another as a new house flip provides work and entertainment. But there is a more personal project in store for them.And will they ever get that date night????
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Lena Luthor
Series: Hot Work [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1760596
Comments: 16
Kudos: 74





	1. The Love Of A New Project

**Author's Note:**

  * For [daskey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/daskey/gifts).



> Picks up right where 'Hot Neighbors' left off.
> 
> There is a lot of narration in this piece, and not so much dialog, which is odd for me. But it was interesting to follow along in Lena's head (mostly) almost like the strengths of first person. Now, I need another WIP like I need a toothache, but this is now on the list as well, because I have PLANS. 
> 
> Also, this was written in a big, fat hurry because my life got suddenly chaotic this last weekish, so there might be errors, or things a bit rushed. I'll note inconsistencies in later bits if it becomes an issue.
> 
> Thank you, daskey, for being such a great creative partner!

There was a well-deserved week off, which really wasn't for the sisters because god forbid they slowed down for more than a few days. Lena didn't mind, because she was enthusiastically welcomed aboard for the hunt for the next project house.

Also, Alex carefully made time for a couple of fun, undemanding dates. Lena chose a movie, where they held hands and shared a few kisses, and Alex took them in the burly work truck to some isolated dirt road overlooking the basin that cradled the sea of lights that was Los Angeles. High in the mountains around the city, they laid on the hood of the truck and looked at the stars.

If it turned into some lovely making out, neither was complaining.

Mostly, it wasn't dating in any sense of the traditional definition, but more like the lives they had been leading before, but with lots of subtext. And kisses. And cuddles.

Lena really, really like the cuddles. Alex rarely did anything not at full intensity, and that included her physical affections. Being so much quieter and calmer, Lena was a bit taken aback by it, but at least had gotten somewhat used to it in befriending the work crew. In turn, Alex was fascinated by the enigmatic depths of Lena, her quieter but no less potent intensity. 

So nights were for rest and bonding, and days for house hunting.

By day three, visiting what felt like dozens of properties was narrowed down to five potentials. Most of the stops, Lena never even left the car, horrified at the conditions. Several times even the sisters wouldn't brave it, and one they barely slowed down before taking off again. 

"Cheap or not," Kara grumbled. "I want to feel like I have at least a chance of getting out alive, thanks."

Then vacation was over and Lena happily invited the crew to her place for dinner and drinks. By the time they had gathered, Lena's house was noisy and lively and her whole body ached pleasantly from being hugged tightly. 

After food, drink and catching up, the team piled up on Lena's couch to ogle the give runner-ups on Kara's laptop. Lena listened in fascination as they dissected each batch of photos, picking out strengths and weaknesses, slowly whittling three out. 

Then came the racket of opinions and questions to rank the last two as winner and alternate. With all the noisy passion of arguing sports fans, the gang finally made their choices. Then the scrum was over and they went back to chatting and drinking. Lena happily snuggled into Alex's side, a strong right arm around her shoulders, and soaked up the casual shop talk and dirty stories. Besides, it let her rest her hand over that muscled abdomen and periodically distract with a stroking thumb.

That hot, dark gaze was intoxicating.

Alex was doing her best to be cool and casual, not giving away that she was absolutely focused on the soft warmth of Lena against her. What a strange and wonderful twist the quiet enigma was to her! Completely entranced by Lena's mind and attractiveness and just how different she was, Alex knew she was well on her way to getting in deep.

Unlike the past, she not only didn't mind, but was looking forward to it.

Susan was moaning on about the cost of LEDs and, "shouldn't they get cheaper in bulk? We never have time to track down a proper distributor!"

"Shouldn't everyone be online?" Kara laughed and Lucy jumped in.

"We hardly have time for that either!"

"I could help."

No one had expected Lena to inject herself into the conversation, her quiet offer timed perfectly into a moment between talking. None of them knew exactly what to make of it, hesitant to accept or refuse. Again proving to be adept at reading a room, Lena sat up and focused.

It was a change no one had ever seen in her before.

Far from the bored rich girl they knew, this was a shadowy shark, the top of its food chain.

"I grew up around corporate America and might be able to retool some of those skills to a narrower focus."

Then a smile quirked her well-formed mouth.

"I promise not to wage a hostile takeover on your company."

They all roared with laughter at that.

So Lena accepted the trade of a night of Alex cuddled with her in her bed in exchange to being up before the sun. Yawning and grumbling, she started coffee and faced the trial of the clothes Alex had brought her. While she loved the sturdy work clothes on Alex, Lena was none too fond of being faced with them upon her own person. Unless maybe she could steal Alex's. in fact, the shirt with the ensemble was different than what she'd been given. Grinning a little, she picked up the blue polo and buried her nose in it. Freshly laundered, it still bore wisps of the scent of Alex and sunshine.

Much better.

The khaki shorts were of a much lighter weight, as were the boots. Still, they were far more protective than anything she had ever owned. There was something sweet and filthy in Alex's grin as Lena frisked out of the bedroom to show off.

"Glad the impulse paid off," she flirted and happily caught the semi-tackling hug. After a wet kiss that left her too-long hair disheveled, Alex would have done just about anything.

"Thank you for the loan."

Sleepy and relaxed, she hummed along to the 80s channel playing in Alex's truck and watched her tough girl navigate the big vehicle through the choked streets of Los Angeles.

A sketchy-looking light industrial area that had seen better days wasn't what Lena had expected. Nor was the rusty metal building Alex parked at. The look on her face must have been telling because Alex chuckled and leaned over to kiss away that little moue of distaste.

"Before projects comes inventory and prep work."

Recognizing the vehicles around them, Lena expected the noise of the crew as Alex unlocked a graffiti-scarred door and stepped inside.

"Mind the mess, babe," was all the warning Lena got as she followed Alex into a hallway choked with… stuff. "Over the years, we've collected a lot of supplies. It comes in handy more often than you'd think."

Abruptly, the cluttered hall emptied out into an open space that was most of the building's volume. 

"It's like the set of an 80s post-apocalypse movie," was all that came to mind to Lena and made Alex laugh uproariously. 

The crew was happy to see them, Lena finding a safe place to sit and watch the chaos. It turned out that there was more prep work involved than Lena would have given this wild bunch credit for. They stacked and sorted and shifted enormous quantities of old siding and cabinets and even whole pieces of antique furniture. None of it was sale worthy, but Lena had seen enough reclaimed antiques in the more bohemian side of New York to know that they could be made valuable with some work.

Soon the chaos of passing around a battered tablet to keep track of things grated on her nature and Winn was helpless in the face of her bossy grabby hands. To mollify the crew and buy her a few minutes to familiarize herself with their system, she handed out a round of gourmet snackies.

Within the hour, she had a handle on their system, picking up the lingo shouted out as more stuff was uncovered. By day's end, the team wanted to keep her on hand for good, each of them giving a hard hug, Alex adding sweet kisses. By day three they'd gotten far ahead of schedule and a scowling Lucy was impressed when she stomped in.

"Did you save me the hassle of straightening up these idiot's paperwork? Screw Danvers, I love you!"

Even the Tiny Terror could only do so much amidst the gears of bureaucracy, but they would have access to the property in a couple of days. They couldn't touch the house itself, but there was plenty to do in the meantime.

Lena slept well those nights, relishing how easy it was to coax Alex into her bed to stay the night. Waking to kisses over her shoulders and neck, those calloused hands wandering, was a delight. It was a pleasure to drag that muscled body over her own and greet the day, ignoring morning breath for kisses.

At some point she had to find time to completely seduce her hardworking girlfriend. Of course at the pace the crew kept up, that might be never…

As though sensing the deepening of their physical relationship was coming to a head, Alex paused in leaving for the morning, pinning Lena up against her kitchen counter, mouthing gently at her neck. For all that Alex kept grumbling about her shaggy hair, Lena was happy to have something to tug on in encouragement.

"Do you think I might persuade you into a special night?" Alex asked softly and a new thrill zinged up and down Lena's spine. "I'll take a day off, I promise. Just for you, for us."

"If you're offering to properly seduce me? Please."

The thrum of want in Lena's throaty tone made Alex groan a note that made the room feel suddenly hot as midsummer.

It took an effort for Alex to leave off Lena's sweet skin and there was no missing the hunger as they stared at one another.

"I promise."

"I look forward to it."

\----

From the moment the DEO crew had taken possession of the house next door, Lena had been fascinated. But it was a detached fascination, an observer of an event. In helping with their inventory, she had found herself unexpectedly… involved.

Lena wasn't used to getting her hands dirty.

Still, she was intrigued enough to shyly ask if she could maybe help out a bit? They liked her enough to easily agreed to let her shadow them to discover if she liked it.

So early in the morning of their first day at the new property saw her yawning and clinging to her insulated cup of coffee as she followed Alex to her truck. There was something that might be a chill in the air that left her teasing Alex about her thick sweatshirt until the mock-scowling redhead kissed her silent at a red light.

Then it was onto the freeway with the first wave of commuters already crowding the high speed arteries of Los Angeles. Fortunately, they made decent time to the more central areas and then were headed north, opposite of the bulk of the growing traffic. It was pleasant enough a drive, but Lena still found herself getting sleepy.

"I forgot how far it was," she grumbled, fading into a nap. "I'm never going to see you now…"

She never saw how a concerned Alex looked at her with her heart in her eyes.

Eventually, Alex followed her GPS to the destination, seeing it with new eyes now that the team owned the place. While loathe to wake her girlfriend, she gently did so, leaning over the center console to nuzzle her cheek and ear. That low moan rising to a giggle was the sweetest music.

"Rise and shine, gorgeous."

Sleepy green eyes were as playful as the little smile. "Do I have to?"

"Sooner we get going here, the sooner we can head home."

"Fiiiiiine."

Mini-banter concluded, the couple stepped into the cool morning and Lena began her day of observation. Only Susan had beaten them there, having clearly brought Kara and Winn along. After subdued greetings, the four crewmates set to work. Buckets of tools, stacks of beat-up trashcans and a huge pile of canvas tarps stained by all manner of stuff were brought. A big canopy like the ones that populated the farmer's markets went up and several folding chairs were set around a ramshackle desk. A hodgepodge of technology was stacked on a rolling dolly and several generators and gas cans were set off to one side, away from anything flammable.

The others trickled in and brought large industrial fans and more buckets of things most of which were incomprehensible. It was all a bit of a blur until Megan said, "the Porta-Potty will be here by ten."

Alex caught the look of horror and sheepishly went to reassure her girlfriend. "Sorry about that, Lena. Realities of what we do. If it's any consolation, they'll be very clean this first day. How about we find a doughnut shop and a real toilet first?"

Lena's relief was as heartfelt as her kiss.

That errand ate up more than an hour but they returned to the gang with three dozen assorted doughnuts for the gang. They came running, barely pausing to shake off the dust and use the portable hand wash station.

With the treats hovered up down to the last crumb, it was time to get back to the cleaning up. New boards had been screwed tight to every doorway and window to protect their investment until they could get inside. The old wood was in the piles of debris coming together in the back yard.

"Squatters," Lucy explained shortly. "But I got a walkthrough of the house and it looks to have been spared. Sometimes boarding up works, and sometimes it doesn't. Also there was no obvious stink of rot, which is a deal breaker."

"Understandable," Lena agreed, shuddering at the thought of what some of these places must be like.

In ten hilarious minutes of trying to help in the cleanup, Lena's aversion to hard physical labor was reinforced. Thankfully, the crew only teased her lightly, shooing her off to the protective canopy to hide from the strengthening sunshine. Thankfully, Winn's frankensien tech was a wifi hotspot among other things, that used two of the trucks to strengthen the signal. After getting the password, and with a few information gathering questions, she could entertain herself both with personal things and with the laptop that contained all their information and inventory.

By lunchtime, Lena had made a copy of the files she could track down --and honestly, how did they keep track of anything-- and made a dent in making sense of them.

A mountain of pizza and soda was delivered, Lena providing healthy juice as an alternate. It pleased her that they all went for her offering instead of the dreadful sugary nonsense.

Alex was too filthy to cuddle, disappointing that, but did fall into several hot kisses before having her filthy self ordered off.

"The sooner you finish for the day, the sooner I can drag you home and throw you in the shower."

A flushed Alex took a lot of teasing that day. Lena was worth it.

With lunch concluded, another short spell passed before Lena couldn't ignore the pressure any longer and had to face the trial of the Porta-Potty. The molded plastic shed seemed innocuous enough, and the smells that escaped when the door creaked open were more clinical than disgusting, but still, there was an edge there that made her want to flee. But the coffee and doughnuts and pizza were done with her now and there was no avoiding it.

At least there was real toilet paper, though she couldn't shake the creeping horror of the chemical water under her naked rear. At least there was a box of single-use disinfectant wipes she could scrub her hands off with after washing them. No offence to Alex, but that date with her shower was the foremost thing on her mind now.

Thank goodness for paperwork! Only the sun slanting across her workspace informed Lena that afternoon was rolling into evening. The mood of the crew's noise had changed as well, something in the timbre of the sounds telling Lena that they were wrapping up. So she did the same, dropping her project onto the Cloud she'd set up to be worked on later.

"No offense," she called out to the filthy horde laden down with their gear, "but I'm not coming back tomorrow."

There was much good-natured jeering and carrying on as they cleaned up every scrap of their things and loads of bundled trash to be stored in the trucks. Lena was happy when the engines roared to life and the caravan moved out. Alex kindly left the windows down to bring in the bracing desert air, laced with the nearby ocean, to keep the stinks at bay.

"We should get in the house in a couple days and can do a thorough inspection," Alex said confidently as they moved with traffic. Oh how Lena loved that warm smile flashed her way. "Then I can rest a little easier, take a day off. You deserve some spoiling."

She couldn't wait.


	2. Unexpectedly Familiar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I don't know if I've said it about this 'verse, but it was inspired by my buddy, daskey. Inktober of last year, they tossed out this great drawing that led to world-building that led to words, that led to… well, you know.
> 
> Yeah, I should have put this with the first chapter in homage to Lena tagging along to the worksite, but better late than never! Also, this awesome drawing will suit later parts of this ongoing tale even better.

Two more days passed with Alex up before dawn and back well after dark. Lena cleared a spot in her oversized fridge for a soft-sided cooler and left a sturdy canvas bag out with treats in them.

Mostly, she was fine with it. After all, it wasn't as though she'd gone into this blind to how workaholic Alex and her crew were.

But still…

The little dark thread of impatience, of wanting to come first for once, plagued her, though it was changed to a zing of thrilling want at the hot look Alex flashed her on her way out.

That hunger had her hormones humming, finally driving her out of the house to get some exercise. If that came with a bit of retail therapy, well, she tried not to indulge too often. Leaving her car outside the enormous fenced lot that was the local farmer's market, Lena wandered the small shops a bit to distract her horny mind. As she could afford to do it, she avoided mass market and big box shopping with a vengeance, only turning to them when there was no other choice. In fact, the shopping might be the only thing she wasn't generally pleased with in her area. The joy of being able to walk to such places would be sublime.

After wandering a bit and injecting some money into the local economy, she trekked back to her car and tossed in her new things. Now it was time for a break with a light lunch and then browse over the amazing food California and places further afield provided her.

For all that New York had access to the best the world could offer, there was just something about crowded lanes of collapsible awnings protecting fresh food and handmade things from the blazing sun. it was raw and primitive and connected to all her senses the way a shop just couldn't. So she finished her meal and dove into the farmer's market where she could see and smell and touch.

Completely engrossed in her welcome task, she had no idea what caught her attention, but it certainly made her startle.

When Lena left New York behind, she hardly expected to have it sneak up and blindside her, but damned if that woman didn't look really familiar. She hardly knew how to react, caught between the mundane of browsing her favorite farmer's market --still open in October and wasn't that the damnedest thing-- and staring at the woman like a stalker.

Unfortunately, it took long enough to notice that she was being observed back, that Lena was caught out.

But it wasn't Sam who caught her, but a sharp-eyed tween that kept reasonably close to her.

Daughter. That's right, Sam had talked about a daughter; who even now was tugging her mother's arm and pointing.

Lena almost made a run for it, but really, how tacky would that be? Instead, she gave Sam a moment to puzzle at her, then watched surprise take over her lovely face. There was no turning back now as surprise became delight and Sam set aside what she had been looking at and made a beeline for her.

"Lena? Is that you?"

Not Miss Luthor, but Lena. How good that felt! Mixed with the trepidation and pain of her deserted past, Lena thrilled at the reconnection with something, and more importantly, someone who represented only the positive.

"Sam," she greeted quietly, feeling how the growing delight stretched her cheeks, echoed in Sam.  
That wide smile had long been a highlight of her days at LuthorCorp, a ready and easy ray of sunshine. Seeing it again warmed her right through. They hadn't been close --no one got close to the Luthors-- but they had been friendly. Lena just hadn't really seen it then, but was powerfully reminded now.

For a moment, Sam seemed torn, before she shrugged and wrapped Lena up in a big hug. It completely startled the youngest Luthor, but after a moment, she raised her arms and hugged back.

"What a wonderful surprise this is," Sam murmured and Lena couldn't agree more.

So, Lena finally met Ruby, who was understandably a bit standoffish, and eagerly begged them both to come visit and hang out with her.

"I can even bribe you with some of my excellent cooking!"

Interestingly, it was Ruby that jumped on the offer when her mother hesitated. But Lena also noted how the girl hovered over her parent, who seemed far more… run down than she remembered. And they lived nearby, but hadn't driven, but taken a Lyft, and even the walk out to Lena's car left Sam looking exhausted.

Lena filed all of that away in her mind as she drove the short distance back to her home. It warmed her how the Ariases loved the house instantly and, on a whim, Lena parked at the curb to maximize the view. 

"What a gorgeous place!" Sam marveled and Ruby added a comment of her own.

"It's crazy how stuff grows here."

At the front door, Lena shook her head fondly at a bucket of landscape care tools left too close and pushed it aside with her foot. Inside it was pleasant enough, but the small stuffiness reminded her to open a few more windows. Hadron took one glance at the strangers behind her and was off like a shot for the spare bedroom. Coward.

"Make yourselves at home. I have some lovely fresh prawns and this mix of greens will wilt nicely with them."

Sam had naturally wandered along behind Lena, gazing about the airy space, but they both jumped and whirled around at Ruby's alarmed gasp.

"Oh my god, is that a Playstation five? Holy crap, these aren't even on the market yet!"

"Ruby! Language!"

Waving some sort of indistinct apology, Ruby zeroed in on the very sci-fi looking console, reverently stroking the moulded plastic. Lena hadn't minded Alex's nervous request to bring it over for entertainment. The thing wasn't huge, she had a very fancy television mounted on her wall that saw little use, and Alex was more than happy to play with headphones on. Though the running commentary could get a little distracting. And amusing.

Shaking her head, Sam went to the only barstool not cluttered with the various goodies and tools Lena had collected in her artistic experimenting. Well, not completely uncluttered, but the leather jacket left there by Alex was easily moved. Sam arched an eyebrow that was as teasing at her voice.

"Leather jacket and a very fancy gaming console. You have changed!"

The laugh that bubbled up made Lena feel very free, almost giddy; a microcosm of this new life and the wonderful woman she had found to partner with.

"Umm," she hedged, shyly realizing this was the first time she could talk about Alex to someone besides the flip team. "They're Alex's, my girlfriend. The tools on the porch too. And that ridiculous cat tower over there that looks like tacky modern art in two by fours and sisal carpet. She built that for my cat, who is hiding around here somewhere."

Sam looked completely taken aback, but had no chance to react as the door rattled and was flung open dramatically. 

"Oooo baby! That smells amaz--" Alex's boisterous greeting stalled mid-word as she noted the strangers in Lena's house. "Uh, sorry."

Amused, Lena set aside her lunch preparations and hurried over to the door to reassure her girlfriend with a warm kiss.

"Not that I'm complaining, but you're home early."

Despite the presence of strangers, Alex was lost in the lovely woman in her arms.

"Well, I have a promise to keep."

Oh how Lena loved that soft regard, indulging in another kiss that threatened to boil out of control.

Leaving off that seductive mouth, Lena stared sappily into Alex's face and toyed with the trailing ends of her hair. It took a moment for Alex to shake herself a bit and find her voice.

"We got deep enough into the house to get a feel for what could work on it and they'll spend the next several days bickering over what to do and digging through the Temple of Old Things. I'll let them handle that. I told the crew to suck it, I'm leaving early and taking tomorrow off. I threatened the whole crew to stay away, they can get your cooking later." The playful leer never fully came to fruition, brown eyes flicking to Sam for a moment. "Uh, but new friends are nice."

The awkwardness was adorable and Lena chuckled, once more pausing her preparations to hug Alex and give her a kiss. "A whole day and a half of you all mine? Decadence." Injecting some playful seriousness into the flirting, Lean stepped back and turned Alex with a push to her shoulder. "In the meantime, I can hear your stomach from here. There's some of that meatloaf you loved left, and I found a wonderful-smelling loaf of rustic bread I'm going to try and duplicate that will go with it." 

A swat to the rear got Alex moving. "Mmmm! Sammich! You know how to spoil a girl. Let me do that real quick and me and Sony will entertain the kid so you ladies can chat." Making a beeline for the refrigerator, Alex suddenly paused and reversed her course, raking back shaggy hair. "Uh, sorry to be rude. I'm Alex Danvers, pleased to meet you."

Sam's smile was delighted and she took the offered hand. "Sam Arias and that's my daughter, Ruby. I worked with Lena at LuthorCorp."

The questions Alex wanted to let out were halted by Sam's wince at the strength of her grip. Instantly gentling, Alex patted their clasped hands. "Sorry about that. Still amped up from work." 

Dropping the handshake, bold and burly Alex gestured lamely at the fridge, the very picture of adorable awkwardness.

"I'll just make my lunch and get out of your hair."

When Sam raised an eyebrow at Lena, it was a moment of deeper connection in their stifled snickers.

In quick order, Alex pulled out a mass of loose ingredients from the fridge, assembled a huge sandwich and put everything back. Taking a massive bite, she gave Lena a fat-cheeked smooch on the cheek and happily went to flop onto the couch by Ruby.

"She's cute," Sam admired and gave Lena a leer that made her blush a bit. "Nice catch."

Figuring the half-grown kid was going to be a little wary, Alex went for neutral ground.

"So, Assassin's Creed or Fortnight?" she asked with a warm thread of teasing that deepened at Ruby's faintly sheepish surprise."Oh come on, I saw you ogling the new toy. Not an RPG fan? How about Sims? Or Madden?"

That perked Ruby's interest and Alex chuckled.

"Madden it is! A sports fan after my own heart. If you'll do the honors, the disks are in that second drawer from the bottom on the left."

In the bonding over a videogame, the fact that they were strangers became irrelevant. Sam watched fondly as Alex split her attention between her sandwich and leaning over to confer with Ruby over how the game worked. In turn, Lena watched her. 

This was not the Sam she remembered, so vivacious and full of the energy of any five people. Something weighed heavily on her, sapped the warm, healthy color from her complexion and withered her from slender to skinny.

"You haven't asked," Sam said quietly without turning back around, as though sensing Lena's thoughts. Stiffening a little at being caught, Lena chose her words carefully.

"Your business is your own, Sam. But if you need me, I'm here."

Some of the sudden tension in the room faded, Lena returning to her task as though the brief conversation never happened.

"Damn hair keeps getting in my eyes," Alex grumbled as she raked the mess back while the console was loading up to advance them from the tutorial to actual game play.

Without even looking, Ruby scrounged around her in pants pocket, saying, "I think I have a hair tie if you want it."

Taking the offered band, Alex swept up her shaggy mane and struggled to get the strands into some manner of ponytail tuft.

"Thanks, Ruby. I really need to find the time to get it cut!" Her sappy look towards the kitchen almost made the teen giggle. Or gag. "But I've happily given up every spare minute."

"You have nice hair," Ruby mused a little shyly and suddenly lit up with delight. "Hey, my mom's pretty good at that, I could ask her!"

Before Alex could protest, Ruby had paused the game and was off the couch almost as fast as Hadron could do it. Luckily for the embarrassed adults, Sam was able to gently defer simply because she didn't have the supplies for the task. Ruby seemed unusually saddened by that, her face downcast and body language defeated.

"I just wanted you to have something to do, I guess," she mumbled and was immediately hugged by her mother. Alex and Lena traded a curious look, but did not interject into the sudden quiet thankfully broken by the ding of the fancy food timer on the counter. In short order the section of counter that separated kitchen from living room was a field of various nibblies to be sampled. Alex was actually taken aback by the effort of a simple lunch, but then she noticed how Sam hesitated over many of them, eating less than her skinny frame clearly needed. Ruby ate heartily, happy with most of the tastes and chatting them up to her mom. 

It worked for a few more mouthfuls but Sam's heart clearly wasn't in it.

Despite it offending Lena's sensibilities, she encouraged everyone to move the gathering back to the couch so that the more boisterous half of their numbers could provide entertainment. While not the faintest bit curious about the game, Lena did get a kick out of watching Alex and Ruby as they got into it. Little of what they said, but who cared? They were having a good time and that was the important part.

When Sam suddenly sagged into her, Lena almost startled, but instead just reached up to settle her head more securely on her shoulder.

"I'm really glad we found you, Lena."

"Oh, Sam, me too."

Humming a soft noise, Sam grew heavier against Lena, who was going to get uncomfortable fast. Both video combatants noticed the change, Ruby worried and relieved, Alex scrambling to her feet.

"It's good she's napping. She doesn't get enough sleep," Ruby said with a gravity well beyond her years. That made Alex pause for a moment before she crouched down to gently maneuver Sam's limp, lanky frame into her arms.

"Well then, we should let her get a real nap then. The guest room, Lena?"

"No, I'm sure Hadron is cowering in there. Put her in my bed."

"Sure thing."

With less effort than it should have taken to lift a woman four inches taller than she was, Alex stood and carried Sam off to rest comfortably. Tugging her sneakers off, Alex got her settled and returned to the couch as though nothing had happened. 

While Ruby enjoyed getting back to the game, it was clear she was subdued now. And for all that the two new strangers in her life wanted to ask, they held their tongues. Still, she and Alex made some inroads into their virtual football game and even went over to prowl the Fortnight realms for a bit as time ticked by.

With a sixth sense for good timing, Lena heated some water and made a couple mugs of tea before heading to her bedroom where Sam was just stirring. For a sleepily startled moment, Sam was disoriented, then focused on her old companion and relaxed.

"Lena," she murmured and melted back into the bed. "'M glad it's you. What is this bed? I need one."

Chuckling lightly, Lena set the mugs down on the bedside table and parked her butt next to Sam's hip.

"I think I have the website saved and can get you hooked up. Feel better?"

Sam made a so-so gesture, but there was a faint hint of smile lingering around the edges of the enveloping pillow.

"Sorry to fall asleep on you."

"Nonsense. If the most embarrassing thing we have to worry about is a stealth nap, I think we can still try for being friends."

Sam's smile grew and she reached out to lay her hand on Lena's arm.

"Friends. I'd like that."

After reluctantly refusing the caffeinated tea and opting for the admittedly delicious herbal blend --another fact Lena squirreled away-- Sam was willing to rouse herself. It was not as easy a process as it should have been, her movements like someone many years older. She also looked around the room with an expression that implied she wasn't certain she should know where she was. And was halfway out of her room before she thought to ask over her daughter.

Ruby spotted movement and dropped her controller to rocket over to her mother, pulling up to gently wrap her in a full-body hug. Sam held her and petted her head, her face an open book of adoration and concern.

"It's Thursday," the teen finally murmured and her tone went mischievous as she looked up into Sam's face. "Andrea will be cranky if we're late."

"Oh, god forbid," Sam played along and they shared a naughty chuckle. "But you're right. We should get going then."

"I'll drive you," Alex instantly offered and leapt to her feet. "It'll let me show off my awesome truck. Hey, Lena? Didn't you say you wanted to drive it?" That grin was pure, adoring teasing as she dangled her keys. "Now's your chance."

With little fanfare, the four of them went to Alex's beefy worktruck and its hulking payload of built-in steel storage and welded pipe racks to carry raw materials aloft. Alex shooed Ruby into the passenger seat to fiddle with the fancy GPS while she sat behind Lena to gently encourage her girlfriend who was understandably a bit nervous to be in command of the large vehicle. 

Sam just watched the proceedings with a quiet little smile.

Some gentle encouragement and a few instructions and Lena had the basic feel for her new skill. It was a quick trip, their destination less than a mile away.

"I'm glad you're so close," Lena said sincerely and was thrilled to be hugged once again by her lanky friend.

"Me too. I'll call, now that I have your new number here."

"I'll do the same. Take care."

Trading farewells, the companions parted, but Ruby paused and looked back at the new people and there was an edge of desperation in her beseeching, "could we do that again? Y'know, like lunch and videogames? It was fun."

Both Lena and Alex smiled warmly, the latter saying, "sure thing, Ruby. We'll make time."

That smile would be worth the effort, the warmth echoed in her quiet mother.

Lena paused in climbing back into the truck, looking over the cookie-cutter plain apartment complex.

"They seem very lonely."

"Then it's a good thing they found you."

Smiling sappily at her sweet girlfriend, Lena grabbed Alex's shirtfront to tug her into a loving kiss.

"Us, darling. Ruby is quite taken with you and you made a very good impression on Sam."

Pleasantly flustered, Alex joked, "well, yeah, I can't resist a damsel in distress."

"My hero."

Caught up in one another, the couple headed home. Alone at last, Alex threw the deadbolt behind them and swept Lena into a hug that became a loose dance hold, the couple instantly caught up in one another.

"So…" Alex started and then lost her train of thought in those hypnotic eyes. Lena's smile broadened as her girlfriend shook her head as though to clear it and tried again. "So, tomorrow is supposed to be a gorgeous day. We could empty your fridge of leftovers and have a nice picnic?"

It was such a blissfully old-fashioned suggestion that somehow Lena's smile grew another notch.

"A picnic? In October? Amazing."

Alex's questioning nervousness evaporated and she stole a quick kiss away from that smile.

"Awesome. Now, the next choice is a toughie."

"Bring it, Danvers."

Clearly amused by the 'dare', Alex queried, "the beach? Or the coolest park in Los Angeles?"

Oh, that was a tough one, Lena's brow puckering and her mouth twisting in concentration. Again, Alex couldn't resist kissing her, murmuring against her lips.

"I'll bet you haven't been up to Griffith Pa--" Head snapping back, Alex was suddenly the very picture of excitement. "Wait, wait, even better! Have you been up to the Getty? God, I haven't been there in years."

And so Lena found out about the famous museum perched loftily above Los Angeles like a travertine fortress. Plans made, they dawdled over preparations and cleaning up before curling up on the couch with a movie.

Unsurprisingly, they found themselves quickly forgetting all about the film and everything else but one another.

When the phone buzzed for what seemed like the twelfth time in just a few minutes, the couple left off their making out.

"You'd better check," Lena encouraged, voice a little breathless from the welcome activities. Grumbling dire threats under her breath, Alex carefully rolled off and let her butt thump to the floor. Grabbing the vibrating phone to answer it, Lena was close enough to hear both sides of the conversation.

"What the hell do you want, Lane?"

"Oh thank god, listen, before you start ranting, I would never interrupt date night if it weren't important. There's some officious little prick from the county here with the a sheriff --and I didn't even know they had jurisdiction anywhere in the basin, much less the middle of the valley-- and is trying to pull some proof of ownership bullshit and I don't dare leave without clearing this up--"

"Lucy! Breathe. What do you need?"

"The deed is back at the lair. In the middle of demo, it's safer there. I fucking swear I'm going to get an airtight fucking box and bury the damn thing in the yard for safekeeping."

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thank you."

The final words were small and relieved, utterly lacking Lucy's usual fire. For a long moment, Alex just heaved a big sign, phone forgotten in her lap, and leaned her head back into Lena's warmth. Then she quirked a lopsided little grin.

"Guess a night off really was too much to ask, huh?"

Lena just chuckled and prodded her into action, the pair of them locking up and heading into the night hand in hand.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I realized deep in my intro here that there is no realistic way the team would be in control of the property in a matter of days. But I was 900+ words in, so we'll chalk it up to fiction.


End file.
